OUR RULES

In general we try to keep our community rules to a minimum, giving everyone the freedom to practise in a way that feels natural and growthful to them.

As a basic standard of ethical living we ask you to keep the five precepts. These precepts were given by the Buddha to anyone wishing to meditate:

To abstain from killing any living being.

To abstain from taking what is not given.

To abstain from sexual activity.

To abstain from false speech.

To abstain from taking intoxicants.

We also encourage, but do not insist, that you keep an additional three precepts. These were given by the Buddha to anyone wishing to deepen their meditation practice:

To abstain from eating after midday.

To abstain from entertainments such as singing and dancing.

To abstain from beautifying the body.

Some of us, whether lay practitioners or ordained in a Buddhist tradition, may choose to keep additional precepts, and this is up to each of us to decide for ourselves.

We ask everyone in the community to attend our daily group meditation sittings at 7am and 7pm. You may use the rest of your time in whichever way you consider to be best for your practice.

If our teachers are concerned that you are practicing in a way that is not beneficial to you, they may request you to attend a meditation interview. Whilst we do not expect you to follow the advice of the teacher blindly, we do expect you to be honest, open, and cooperative.

Other than this we simply ask that all members of our community respect each other’s practice and try not to cause each other any unnecessary disturbance.

When things aren´t working

In rare cases, things don´t work out and we feel the need to ask a guest to leave. Such a decision is not taken lightly. In such cases we strive to be fair and compassionate.

Here are some examples of why things may not work out:

Although our rules are simple, you may struggle to keep them. We will always give you a friendly reminder, but if you persist in breaking our rules we will ask you to leave.

Sometimes we may feel that we cannot offer you the practical, psychological, or spiritual support that you need. In such cases we may suggest that you seek appropriate support elsewhere. In some cases suitable supplementary support may be available locally, in which case you may continue to stay with us. If we feel your needs cannot be met here in Almeria then we may ask you to leave.

Sometimes we may receive complaints from other community members that your behaviour is disruptive or disrespectful. We will always listen to all sides before making a decision, but if you persist in disturbing others, in the best interests of the community as a whole, we will ask you to leave.

With us a goodbye need not be forever. If the conditions change then any guest who has been asked to leave may, at our discretion, be welcome back at some other time in the future.

When things aren´t working

In rare cases, things don´t work out and we feel the need to ask a guest to leave. Such a decision is not taken lightly. In such cases we strive to be fair and compassionate.

Here are some examples of why things may not work out:

Although our rules are simple, you may struggle to keep them. We will always give you a friendly reminder, but if you persist in breaking our rules we will ask you to leave.

Sometimes we may feel that we cannot offer you the practical, psychological, or spiritual support that you need. In such cases we may suggest that you seek appropriate support elsewhere. In some cases suitable supplementary support may be available locally, in which case you may continue to stay with us. If we feel your needs cannot be met here in Almeria then we may ask you to leave.

Sometimes we may receive complaints from other community members that your behaviour is disruptive or disrespectful. We will always listen to all sides before making a decision, but if you persist in disturbing others, in the best interests of the community as a whole, we will ask you to leave.

With us a goodbye need not be forever. If the conditions change then any guest who has been asked to leave may, at our discretion, be welcome back at some other time in the future.